Monthly Archives: February 2009

I am embarrassed. I feel sick to my stomach everytime I read people defending the many recent overtly racist attacks on president Obama. I wish I could say that it is only overt racists who act as apologists, and maybe it is a weird selection bias when reading comments section online of coverage of these incidents, but really? People think it’s OK to have a cartoon depicting Obama as a dead chimp and can’t see the difference between that and this? Do people really think that, because someone made a potato joke to them and, as someone of Irish descent, they decided to let it slide, that the Mayor of Los Alamitos can send out an email with a watermelon patch taking over the White House lawn and it’s OK?

I recently joined a group on Facebook called WORK – Whites Overcoming Racism through Knowledge. All I can do is try to point out to these apologists that not every white person agrees with them. All I can do is repeat that complaining about racism is not “playing the race card” or “whining”.

And, I can keep learning myself. Earlier this year, I didn’t understand why people were complaining that it was wrong to compare gays wanting to get legally married (in the context of the Proposition 8 and similar state provisions) to Loving v. Virginia. Although I still think there is room for nuanced conversations about history and discrimination of other groups in a certain context, but now I totally see why it is wrong, repetitive and annoying for blacks to constantly be the discrimination ruler against which all other oppression in measured.

So, my hope it, if I can grow and learn, other racism apologists can grow and learn. I will do whatever I can to make this happen, for me and for others.

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I was happy to hear on NPR today that the Obama administration is finally getting around to reversing the Bush administration’s so called “conscience clause”. Unfortunately, it is hard to discuss the nuanced details of the HHS rule in soundbites. NPR failed to do this well when introducing the story and on their main page, by describing the rule by using this tag line: “The “conscience clause” allowed health care workers to decline to participate in abortions and other services.”

I have to give NPR credit, they did do a good job covering the issue in the full coverage. They pointed out that conscience exceptions have been protected for more than 30 years. They also pointed out (on the radio but not in this article) that the new rule permits people to anyone even tangentially related to the delivery of health care (including cashiers, receptionists and janitors) to refuse give information or referrals to care by someone who is not religiously opposed to whatever health care that person is opposed to, whether it be fertility treatment, contraception, abortion, blood transfusions, HIV drugs, you name it.

And, health care delivery systems have to certify that they are not discriminating against any people with religious objections to any medical treatment in hiring to receive any federal funds, like Medicare or Medicaid. So, theoretically, if Christian Scientists applied to work at a surgery center, they wouldn’t be able to discriminate against them in hiring. If they refused to do any sort of surgery, participate or facilitate any sort of surgery, and refused to refer to another staff member or another facility or even give any sort of information about surgery, they could not be fired or the facility would be discriminatory. In fact, if they were not hired, the surgery center would be open to loss of federal funds and reimbursement, and costly lawsuits. This certification of hiring people who would most certainly refuse to perform their job description was not mentioned in the NPR coverage, or most other coverage.

Rachel Maddow said this fails her “Amish bus driver” test today on her show. I was thrilled that she mentioned the words “contraception” and “abortion” in her coverage of the story. I love her to death, but I wrote her a letter recently complaining about her lack of coverage of reproductive rights issues. Glad she represented today.

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One of my closest friends and his wife have invited me to be at their birth. It will be a hospital birth, so there are only two of us allowed in with her. No moms, no sisters, (and there are a few of these on each side who will be in the waiting room), just me and him. I fully realize what an honor this is, and how much this says about what they think of me. I am so excited!!

Rachel at Women’s Health News spearheaded a lot of concern when she posted about a proposed bill in Tennessee to drug test women under a dizzying array of mom blaming reasons. I was very happy with the flurry of outrage and support on the feminist sites. I think pregnancy issues, especially ones that involve having a baby, not preventing one, don’t get adequate attention on many of these sites. The National Advocates for Pregnant Women generally have good information on the issue of drug testing and subsequent imprisonment of pregnant women.

The National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association has a post up about a resolution being introduced to include *gasp* women’s reproductive health issues to the national debate on health care reform. It would be symbolic, but hey, it’s a symbol we need. I am sick of women’s reproductive issues being dropped like a hot potato any time someone points out that it is controversial. (I’m looking at you, Obama.) I had a discussion with the lobbying arm of the American Osteopathic Association during a presentation on grassroots activism at our school. She told me that they don’t advocate for women’s reproductive health issues because it is controversial. She pointed out to me there are lobbying groups specifically set up to oppose such legislation. I asked her why that wouldn’t make it more important for them to advocate for women’s issues? I also asked her who is going to defend women’s health care if groups representing physicians won’t. She also said they don’t really do anything regarding Medicaid. I was pretty disappointed with this presentation, to say the least. It should have been called “Grassroots activism for those where the grass is already greener.”

I loved this post on Shakesville with book recommendations for coming of age boys. Thanks! Again, impressed with the parenting style coverage from a site that normally caters more to the childless and gay men.

Finally, on a non health related item, there is the issue of horrific, racist political cartoon comparing Obama to a gunned down monkey. As usual, Ill Doctrine has a good analysis of the many problematic angles of this story. I am saddened by how non progressive some of his commenters are. It is very clear that the context of the rag, the New York Post, paints the stimulus as Obama’s stimulus. In fact, that same day, on the previous page, there was a huge picture of Obama’s face next to headlines criticizing the stimulus package. And, the same cartoonist has published previous cartoons with Obama standing at a pad presenting his stimulus bill. Racist apologists who try to nitpick that the author of the bill wasn’t literally Obama make me ill. (No offense, Jay Smooth, for the use of the word ill.)

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The financial crisis explained in simple terms:
Heidi is the proprietor of a bar in Berlin. In order to increase sales, she decides to allow her loyal customers – most of whom are unemployed alcoholics – to drink now but pay later. She keeps track of the drinks consumed on a ledger (thereby granting the customers loans).

Word gets around and as a result increasing numbers of customers flood into Heidi’s bar.

Taking advantage of her customers’ freedom from immediate payment constraints, Heidi increases her prices for wine and beer, the most-consumed beverages. Her sales volume increases massively.

A young and dynamic customer service consultant at the local bank recognizes these customer debts as valuable future assets and increases Heidi’s borrowing limit.

He sees no reason for undue concern since he has the debts of the alcoholics as collateral.

At the bank’s corporate headquarters, expert bankers transform these customer assets into DRINKBONDS, ALKBONDS and PUKEBONDS. These
securities are then traded on markets worldwide. No one really understands what these abbreviations mean and how the securities are guaranteed. Nevertheless, as their prices continuously climb, the securities become top-selling items.

One day, although the prices are still climbing, a risk manager (subsequently of course fired due his negativity) of the bank decides that slowly the time has come to demand payment of the debts incurred by the drinkers at Heidi’s bar.

However they cannot pay back the debts.

Heidi cannot fulfil her loan obligations and claims bankruptcy.

DRINKBOND and ALKBOND drop in price by 95 %. PUKEBOND performs better, stabilizing in price after dropping by 80%.

The suppliers of Heidi’s bar, having granted her generous payment due dates and having invested in the securities are faced with a new situation. Her wine supplier claims bankruptcy, her beer supplier is taken over by a competitor.

The bank is saved by the Government following dramatic round-the-clock consultations by leaders from the governing political parties.

The funds required for this purpose are obtained by a tax levied on the non-drinkers.

Finally an explanation I understand …

My reply:

This is the second email I have received comparing people who are having their homes foreclosed on to alcoholics. This is after 8 years of our country spending money like a drunken sailor. If my husband, a sober schoolteacher, gets laid off this year as threatened, we will most likely have to default on our home loan. The stimulus package is giving 8 billion to the school districts in our state, and his job may be saved. I am very grateful. Teachers have already been laid off at my mother’s school. My older brother worked for Lehman Brothers, and his position closing out that company will end soon. The stimulus package has provisions so he can get help paying COBRA payments to keep health insurance for his family, including his son with a health condition. This kind of hostile email is only serving to divide our nation even more. With unemployment rates rising to 10% and more, it’s getting pretty pathetic to continue pretending this is an us and them world. The unemployed alcoholics you non drinkers complain about may be your own family members.

Please take me off of your email list.

I also got an email from my cousin (from the other side of my entitled, privileged, conservative family) comparing income taxes to a rich guy coming and buying drinks for a bunch of unemployed drunks every night. The moral twist: What if he doesn’t show up to buy them drinks the next night? Then who will pay for them?

I wrote a similar reply.

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I am so proud to be included as an ally in the wonderful Tell it WOC Speak blog carnival. Renee of Womanist Musings is a radical’s radical, a blogger’s blogger, and, dare I say, a feminist’s womanist. She is fiercely intelligent and, I am guessing, very picky. I am very proud that my post on teen births rates being up, and the analysis of the rise being blatantly racist, was included.